On 17 May 2016, Union Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal flagged off the trial run of the first-of-its-kind driverless Metro train. The trial run commenced from the Mukundpur depot of Delhi Metro and ended at Majalis Park metro station on the Majlis Park-Shiv Vihar corridor of phase 3. The train would be initially run by train operators for abound a year, followed by completely switching to unmanned train operations.

The introduction of the metro rail service in Delhi has changed the face of transportation in the national capital territory of India. The metro has been specifically designed keeping in mind the comforts of the passengers and the traffic on the road. The metro rail service in Delhi has been appreciated all over the world. The metro railway network has covered almost the entire city and with continuous endeavours towards expansion, most of the neighbouring areas and suburbs will also be covered by the metro railway by the end of 2021.

The metro rail service has proved to be a boon for the people of the union territory. The best thing that has happened since the introduction of the Delhi Metro is the reduction in Delhi’s traffic and pollution levels. The expansion plans of the Delhi Metro started especially for the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

Although the Delhi Metro is not the first metro railway in India, it can be said to be the first of its kind in the country. Constructed with utmost architectural brilliance and state-of-the-art facilities, the Delhi Metro is very different from the other metro rails in the world. Apart from being technologically sound, the major aspect that has been given prime importance within the Delhi Metro is security.

The Delhi Metro is being constructed in phases. Most of the routes under Phase I were completed before 2010. The second phase, known as Phase II, covered 85 stations. It was also successfully completed by the end of 2010. The other projects in the pipeline are Phase III and IV, which are expected to be ready by the end of 2016 and 2021 respectively.

The Delhi Metro stations have small kiosks that provide food and beverages to the commuters. Some stations like Rajiv Chowk, Kashmere Gate, etc., have popular food outlets like McDonald’s, Nirula's, Cafe Coffee Day, etc. IRCTC has also opened a set of food kiosks that serve passengers with snacks and delicacies at reasonable rates. The kiosks (Food Tracks) offer light snacks and mini meals.

In the interim budget of the 2014-15 fiscal year, DMRC received a budgetary support of Rs. 3,470.16 crore and Rs. 838.07 crore as equity.

In the 2013-14 fiscal year, DMRC was granted Rs. 2484.18 crore as the budgetary support and Rs. 650 crore as part of equity investment.

To provide better services to its commuters, the Delhi Metro has taken certain initiatives. These are listed below:

Introduction of six- and eight-coach trains on several routes.

Besides the existing eight-coach trains plying between Jahangirpuri and HUDA City Centre, new such trains would be made operational. This has been particularly done because during the rush hours in the morning, the Rajiv Chowk metro station gets two out of three trains having eight coaches.

Additional trips on the route between Kashmere Gate and Gurgaon between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. have been introduced. Similarly, additional trains have been introduced on the Janakpuri West to Vaishali route and the Noida City Centre to Dwarka Sec-21 route, respectively.

Delhi Metro Route

Line 1: Dilshad Garden - Rithala (Red Line)

The distance between Dilshad Garden and Rithala is 25.15 km. There are 21 stations on this route. The metro trains run on an average frequency of four minutes. The fare for travelling on this line ranges from Rs. 8 to Rs. 23.

Line 2: Jahangirpuri, Delhi - HUDA City Centre, Gurgaon (Yellow Line)

Line 2 operating between Jahangirpuri - HUDA City Centre covers a distance of 44.36 km. There are 34 stations on this route. The trains available on this line are generally available on an average frequency of three minutes during peak hours. The cost of travelling on this route usually ranges from Rs. 8 to Rs. 19.

Line 3: Noida City Centre - Dwarka Sector 21 (Blue Line)

Operating across 44 stations is Line 3. The distance covered under this route is 50.56 km. The total time taken to cover all the 44 stations is about 90 minutes. The fare for travelling on this route ranges from Rs. 8 to Rs. 30.

Originally, the Blue line of the Delhi Metro was from Indraprastha to Dwarka. On 12 November 2009, the line was extended from Yamuna Bank to Noida City Centre, with a total length of 13.1 km.

Line 4: Yamuna Bank - Vaishali (Blue Line) (Branch Line)

Completed in January 2010, Line 4 operates across eight stations. The distance covered under this route is 6.25 km. The cost of travelling on this route ranges between Rs. 8 to Rs.15. A small extension of 2.57 km was made in July 2011 connecting the Anand Vihar metro station of the Blue Line branch with the Vaishali metro station in Ghaziabad, two stations, i.e., Anand Vihar and Vaishali in Ghaziabad. The Anand Vihar ISBT - Vaishali route was opened for public on 27 January 2010.

Line 5: Inderlok - Mundka (Green Line)

This is the most recently added line to the Delhi Metro network. It also happens to be the second line that offers the standard-gauge corridor after Line 4. The total distance covered by this route is approximately 13.7 km. Line 5 covers 14 stations and fare for travelling on this route ranges from Rs. 8 to Rs. 18. The line was made operational from 2 April 2010. The Kirti Nagar- Ashok Park main route got opened on 27 August 2011.

Line 6: Badarpur - Mandi House (Violet Line)

Initially, Line 6 ran from Central Secretariat to Badarpur and began its operations in October 2010. This route covered a total distance of 20.6 km that included 16 important stations. However, in June 2014, Line 6 was extended till Mandi House, which added two more metro stations; namely, Mandi House and Janpath. Due to the extension, now the total number of metro stations on this line is 18 and the distance further covered on this stretch is 3.2 km. The minimum fare required for travelling on Line 6 is Rs. 8 and the maximum fare is Rs. 22.

Line 7: Airport Express - Dwarka Sector 21 (Orange Line)

The Delhi Airport Metro Express line runs from the New Delhi metro station to the Dwarka Sector 21 metro station, linking the Indira Gandhi International Airport in between. The New Delhi - IGI Airport (T-3) - Dwarka Sector-21 route was opened for public on 23 February 2011. The total length of this line is 22.7 km. The service was suspended from 7 July 2012 to 22 January 2013 due to some technical problems. It has now been reopened; however, the metro speed has been cut down to 50 km/hr.

The construction work for the Phase III of the Delhi Metro had started on 11 May 2013 and it has been estimated that this line will be operational by March 2016.

Two new lines and 10 route extensions have been proposed for the Phase III of the Delhi Metro. Out of these, the cabinet has given approval for two new lines and five line extensions. The total length will be 140 km and the estimated cost of the project will be Rs. 350 billion. It will have 28 underground stations that will cover a total of 41 km.

Phase III Projects:

Janakpuri West - Botanical Garden

Jahangirpuri - Badli

Central Secretariat - Kashmere Gate

Mukundpur - Shiv Vihar

Dwarka - Najafgarh

Badarpur - YMCA Chowk (Faridabad)

Mundka - Bahadurgarh

Magenta Line: Janak Puri West - Botanical Garden

The Magenta Line of Delhi Metro is under construction and due for completion in December 2016. It is part of the DMRC's Phase III network. It will directly connect Janakpuri West in west Delhi to Botanical Garden in Noida. This line is almost 37 km long and will consist of 25 metro stations. It will also link the domestic terminal section of the IGI Airport to south Delhi as well as Noida.

Pink Line: Mukundpur - Shiv Vihar

The Pink Line of Delhi Metro is under construction. It is expected to be completed by December 2016. It is part of the DMRC's Phase III network. The Pink Line will connect areas such as Mayur Vihar to South Extension. It is 58.6 km long and set to be the longest corridor of Delhi NCR's rapidly expanding metro network. It will consist of 38 stations. Running alongside Delhi's busy Ring Road, which sees huge traffic jams everyday, the Pink Line is also referred to as the Ring Road Line.

Mandi House Interchange Station
The first section of the Phase III of the Delhi Metro became functional for public on 26 June 2014. It is a 3.2 km-long underground metro line connecting Mandi House (Blue line) and Central Secretariat (Yellow line); it an extension of the Violet Line with a view to decongest the Rajiv Chowk metro station. The first train on the route was inaugurated by the Union Minister of Urban Development Venkaiah Naidu. The Mandi House metro station serves as an interchange station for three metro lines: Jahangirpuri - HUDA City Centre, Central Secretariat - Badarpur and Noida - Dwarka Sector 21. The commuters of the Badarpur - Central Secretariat route bound for Noida, Vaishali as well as Dwarka can change trains at Mandi House without changing trains twice at the Central Secretariat and Rajiv Chowk metro stations. The metro trains on this route will run at a frequency of 3.25 minutes.

Trial of Phase III of the Delhi Metro
The Phase III of the Delhi Metro will make a difference of about 30 minutes in travelling between the capital and the NCR cities of Noida and Gurgaon. The commuters will save their travelling time because the number of interchanging stations has been increased to 22as compared to the existing nine interchanging hubs.

On 12 April 2015, the trial for the Badarpur - Faridabad corridor was started by the Delhi Metro. DMRC Managing Director Mangu Singh, along with other officials, was also present when the first trial run, from Badarpur to Old Faridabad, commenced. There are currently nine stations on this route. However, by 2017, two more stations will be added. The corridor is an extension of the existing Mandi House - Badarpur line. According to metro officials, rigorous testing will be done during the trials before the line gets open for the commuters. It is expected that the line will be open for general public from June 2015 onwards.

Delhi Metro Ranked Second Among 18 Metro Systems in the World

In an online survey conducted by the global metro benchmarking groups, the Nova Group of Metros and Community of Metros (CoMET), the Delhi Metro has been ranked second in terms of overall customer satisfaction among the 18 international metro systems. As per media reports, more than 41,000 people gave their feedback for the online survey conducted worldwide through social media and online websites. According to the reports, the commuters of the Delhi Metro rated ‘crowding’ and ‘reliability’ as some of the priority areas. A spokesperson from the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) said that the survey was conducted as per the European Norm 13816 and few of the areas covered were accessibility, ease of use, availability, information prior to travel, customer care, etc.

Highest Height Achieved by Delhi Metro -Dhaula Kuan

A major feat has been achieved by the Delhi Metro as the Delhi Metro trains crossing Dhaula Kuan will operate at a height of 23.6 metre. This has surpassed the height of Karkardooma, where the metro trains operate at a height of 19 metre. For avoiding any kind of traffic disruption on the Airport line, the launching operation above it will be done from 12.30 a.m. to 4 a.m., that is, the non-operating hours. A diversion road has also being constructed to avoid any kind of inconvenience to the commuters. The viaduct is scheduled to be completed by the end of October 2014. The elevated viaducts of the Phase III surmount the two existing phases of metro corridors at four other locations besides Dhaula Kuan. The four other locations are Anand Vihar, Mayur Vihar, Netaji Subhash Place and Karkardooma.

Delhi Metro's Engineering Marvel
In an impressive development, the DMRC has achieved what can be aptly termed as a marvel of engineering. The Majlis Park-Shiv Vihar corridor, under construction as part of the Phase III project, now crosses the existing Vaishali-Dwarka line at a height of 21 metres above ground, with 10 metres of clearing. According to media reports, several such crossover lines will be constructed during this phase. Phase III is expected to complete in 2016.

DMRC launches a Smartphone Mobile Application
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has launched a smartphone application to help users gain Delhi Metro-related information easily. The users of smartphones can receive information through GPS as the application works on both iPhones as well as Android smartphones with Internet or GPRS access. The application can also be downloaded from the official website (www.delhimetrorail.com) of DMRC.

As announced by Mangu Singh, the Managing Director of DMRC, a user will be able to get the following information using this application:

Metro map and route details

Nearest metro station

Travel fares and travel time

Metro timings

Parking information

Landmark and tourist places near metro stations

Feeder bus availability and route details

Helpline numbers

Complaints and feedback facility

Security helpline numbers

Metro Museum information

The application is said to have a user-friendly interface to ensure easy navigation and has all major options on the home screen.

Delhi Metro launches Online Smart Card Recharge Facility

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation has launched an online recharge facility of Metro smart cards. This provision will allow the commuters to recharge their smart cards through their credit/debit cards. The top-up can be easily done by visiting the following links: www.delhimetrorail.com or www.dmrcsmartcard.com. Once the recharge is done, the commuters will have to validate their recharge by using the ticket reader cum Add-Value machines, which have been installed at 13 metro stations - Shastri Park, Rajendra Place, Dilshad Garden, Welcome, Barakhamba Road, Pragati Maidan, Nirman Vihar, Seelampur, Karkardooma, Laxmi Nagar, R K Ashram Marg, Shahdara and Jhandewalan. The machines will also provide information about the value of the smart cards, the last recharge done and the last five entry/ exit transactions. The minimum transaction amount is Rs. 100 and the maximum recharge amount allowed is Rs. 1000 per card. This facility will not only allow the commuters to avoid unnecessary queues but will also reduce cash transactions at the ticket counters.

Kashmere Gate - Red Fort Tunnel Completes

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has completed the tunneling of 1,351 metres between Kashmere Gate and Red Fort. The construction under the Phase III for the stretch of tunnel on 9.37 km on the central Secretariat-Kashmere Gate passed beneath the current Kashmere Gate elevated metro station. DMRC has said that the tunnel has passed Dara Shikoh Library, Lothian Bridge and Ambedkar University.

Survey: Delhi Metro ranks first in information during travel

According to a survey conducted by Railway and Transport Strategic Centre, the Delhi Metro has been ranked as first in "information during travel". The DMRC also secured second position in "train cleanliness and comfort". The ranking were given on the basis of the surveys conducted between 13 April 2015 and 10 May 2015.